


compos mentis

by vvivid



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Except it's......... Sasori, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Inner Sakura - Freeform, Is this considered soulmate AU???, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Not Beta Read, Some Plot, Suggestive Themes, Yes my timeline is messed up, and no I will not fix it, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 03:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20575523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvivid/pseuds/vvivid
Summary: compos mentis | adjective | having full control of one's mind; sane.Sakura misses the days when her head wasn't filled with his teasing words, blank stares, and his goddamn smirks.





	compos mentis

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I randomly thought of this not-super-creative idea maybe a month ago, and decided I liked it enough to go with it. Plus, there's a lacking of fanfiction for this ship, which makes me sad. This will most likely remain a one-shot, but feel free to take anything you like and continue it yourself! (Or, if I'm super inspired, I'll add more.)
> 
> JUST A WARNING:  
this may be a bit confusing to read, as perspective and time kind of shifts. I was low key experimenting with my writing style, so apologies if it's a bit jumbled.

Sometimes, Sakura missed her old Inner.

She never thought she’d ever feel that way, but now, as a smug red-headed missing- nin mentally smirked as a fist collided with her face, she would ’ve welcome d her previous inner with open arms. It was a good punch, she would give it to him, but nothing in comparison to her own; in fact, she was confident she could’ve dodged it, if not for the blaring distraction in her head. “Are you blaming me?” Sasori asked, ignoring the profanities that filtered through her head to pick out the one thought that had tossed her mistake onto him. She huffed, barely missing another swing, mentally hissing a  _ yes _ . The man swung a fist blindly, Sakura merely swinging her head back and taking a quick two steps away. 

“Why are you holding back?”  Sasori hummed, raising an eyebrow curiously. 

_ He’s a civilian! _ She  retorted, fists clenched as she danced around the man’s swings. He yelled something out, but Sakura chose to ignore it, looking for a way she could possibly skip out without causing too many problems. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission—in and out. She would go to a bar, flirt a little, and gather intel on a man who was said to hide out in the city. After that, she would retreat and rendezvous back with her team at the inn, where Kakashi would decide the next move. Instead, she was in the back alley, trying to not let a belligerent 6’ 5” drunk man beat the lights out of her. If it came to it, she would have to let him; if she dared to swing back, it would surely give her away as being a shinobi of some kind.

_ This is your fault! _

“Oh?”

_ Don’t ‘oh?’ me!  _

Sakura’s back hit a wall and took a second to pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance. She had been so, so close to the information they needed. If he had just waited, given her one last minute--

“ You could easily take this joke of a bodyguard out ,” he said, leaning back into the blackness of her head, looking as if he was propped up on a wall. She shook her head.  _ Are you deaf? I can’t blow my cover even more. _

_ “ _ Don’t you think it’s already too late for that?”  Sasori observed, eyes darting off, presumably to stare at the man trying to take her down.

_ It was hard enough having to flirt with that man-- _

“He wasn’t your type anyway,”

Sakura rolled her eyes, chakra infused arm coming up to block a hit; immediately, she caught herself, letting a normal arm take the blunt of it. Having a conversation with her cheeky-inner was pulling her attention too much reality, and she found herself making dumb mistakes over and over. For sure, that spot would bruise; the man had no stance, throwing fists blindly, hurling his weight into each fist, but nonetheless he was a man of muscle. “Tsk, tsk. Sloppy.”

_ Can you shut up--! _

“I mean, yes, if I wanted.”

Sakura gri tted her teeth, glaring daggers ahead of her, but directed at the missing- nin . He cocked his head, saying nothing, but still managing to aggravating her.  _ We’ve been here a week building my rapport, and you just had to butt in-- _

“I thought I was helping?” He asked, feigning innocence.  _ You knew what you were doing! _

Sakura didn’t enjoy missions like this, but knew they were a necessary evil. She didn’t particularly like flirting with men double, triple her age; she didn’t like how handsy they got, their dirty promises, how they thought how easily they had wooed her. She could play the part easily enough, blushing under their gaze, fluttering her eyelashes, wearing the heavy perfume, painted lips.  Sasori had snorted when Sakura  had  adjusted into her henge for the mission , her pink hair growing out and turning into a strawberry blonde; she opted to keep her seafoam eyes, but made sure to enhance her hips and chest just a bit more. She had  ran a hand through the long locks, silently and momentarily missing her long locks. “Impractical,”  Sasori rebuked.

It had worked well for her, though. Kiyoko, as Sakura introduced herself, was a traveler interested in medical scrolls and ninjas alike; it was a good cover story, they figured, as Sakura actually most of the knowledge to back it up if she was called out on it. Her parents were ill, she would tell people, and so she took it upon herself to venture out into the world to find a doctor. It just so happened that the man they were hunting down was supposed to be a medic- nin who earned his coin by healing dangerous missing- nin , as well as passing on information from different cities. 

In the bar, Kiyoko had settled down at the main counter, sipping on a fruity drink (that Ino had actually recommended, and that she actually enjoyed), feigning tipsiness after just one drink, but easily burning off the alcohol with her chakra. She let her cheeks flush, talking up anyone who would give her the time of day (which happened to be many men, and a few women, Sakura boasted). Her medic babble had drawn in a curious listener, who slowly inched closer to her from the corner of the bar. She pretended not to notice as another man bought her shot, urging  her  to try, which she insisted she didn’t know how (a straight lie, actually, as it was almost a requirement under Lady Tsunade that she know how to drink).  Sasori had been quiet, watching with mild amusement.

Things would go south quickly when the man from across the way finally settled down next to her. His presence seemed to command authority, as when he sat down, people quickly took the hint and left the two to their discussions. He wasn’t that conventionally attractive but had a strong jaw and perfect teeth. He was covered in faint scars, a large one stretching from his mid-cheek down to his collarbone. He smelled like a cigar mixed with blood, with dirty hands (which Sakura absolutely hated, but hid that away with a sheepish smile) that had no hesitation in situating themselves on her lower thigh. “What’s a young doll like yourself doing out here?” He had asked, leaning in close to study her.

She giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes darting to her drink in an attempt to seem nervous. “Well, my parents are sick—an infection, actually. I’m looking for some kind of scroll that I could maybe take back to the doctor’s in my area, or maybe even a medic-nin. I had actually stopped in the area because I heard about a skilled medic around here.” He nodded easily to her words, looking pleased, wearing a confident smile. “You might be in luck then, miss...?”

“Kiyoko.”

“Miss Kiyoko,” he purred, his hand inching up her thigh so, so slowly. “Perhaps we could work out a deal?”

“No.”

Both of their eyes grew wide, Sakura mentally rearing back to gape at  Sasori . The man’s grip had tightened just a bit, and Sakura tried desperately to find a way to fix it all. She had never expected, not in a million years, that  Sasori could somehow wiggle his way to her mouth and say something  _ for her _ . “I’m a puppeteer, remember?” He half mocked, smirk crossing his pristine features. He was lucky he was already dead, otherwise Sakura would’ve strangled him.

~

The swings were beginning to slow now, and Sakura easily dodged them without any thought. She wondered what her teammates would say, or do, when they found out she had blown the mission out of the water. Perhaps it was still salvageable? Maybe if she ran back in and begged? “That’s not a good look for you,”  Sasori remarked, scoffing at the visual. 

The man let out a large yell, frustrated with the dancing between him and the woman who buzzed around him like a fly, and leapt for one last clean swing. It was the perfect opening, allowing Sakura to scurry away and out of the alley. Once on the streets, she made quick work to dart off towards the hotel, mind burning as to how she was going to confront her teammates.  _ I’m not some puppet you can just take control of!  _ She hissed, her pace slowing as she approached the familiar surroundings. She was less than a few minutes away from the hotel, and quite honestly, she wasn’t ready to admit her defeat. “ Hm ?” He purred, sounding awfully close. She shook herself, trying to remember he was just in her head—although that did little to comfort her. At this point, she would much prefer him to just be physically here. It wouldn’t be so... invasive. Not to mention, she could actually beat the  hell out of him.

“Such rude thoughts,” he cooed, bringing his hands up. A finger flicked, and despite no chakra strings appearing, Sakura felt her arm lift. She considered suppressing her shock, but he already knew, and his smug grin only grew. “I’ve been wanting to test my theory for a long time,” he hummed, his middle finger twitching, her pace increasing for a light walk to a jog; with another flick, she was full on sprinting, her tight red dress hiking up dangerously high.  _ What do you think you’re doing? _ _ _ _ Release me!  _

“You know, I was quite surprised to find myself in here. I thought if anything, once I died, I would be sent to hell. Having to account for my sins and whatnot,” he said absently, watching her panic as she passed the inn, but kept her pace straight. “When I realized where I was , I thought that perhaps, I really  _ was _ in hell,” he mused, his fingers twitching, beckoning her to set off into the trees. He couldn’t control her chakra, she noted thankfully, but with how he was dragging her along—she had no choice but to infuse her legs, bounding her forward, lest she risk slamming into the ground. It wasn’t such a bad thought, actually. “I  also  have access to all your memories.”

Sakura sucked in air, her chest growing tight. He looked amused. “Buried deep down, I found what used to be your previous Inner, yes?” Sakura jumped swiftly through trees, and she half wondered where in the hell he was leading her. “Quite feisty. I enjoyed her, for the few fleeting moments she had left.” Sakura gritted her teeth, memories of the day her inner had slowly faded into black, only for  Sasori to take her place a few months later.

Sasori had been her first kill—even if she didn’t land the killing blow. It had been, in the end, her fight. Death wasn’t a foreign concept to shinobi, wasn’t something to back away from; she has killed many people since that day, many without guilt. “I was the first,” he murmured, voice low and dark. Sakura had been so proud of herself that day; killing a S  rank  missing-nin,  Sasori from the Akatsuki no less—she was riding a wild high that week, despite all the losses. She had solved his poison, made her antidote, and then fought tooth and nail until the bitter end. The night, she slept the best she had in years; the trip home from  Suna was breezy, and Sakura couldn’t hide her proud smile. 

But luck and fate were never her friends; no, they seemed to enjoy making a mockery of her life. Only a week later did Sakura awake to a familiar voice, coaxing her  from her slumber , lest she be late for training. Her inner, whom she once fondly disliked, had been replaced by the man she had killed just a few days prior. He didn’t look excited, nor angry, but rather...  _ amused _ . And god, did Sakura hate his smirk. Even in the afterlife, in her head, he was there to smirk at her. She considered going to Lady  Tsunade , perhaps she needed a mental check, but decided against it. She didn’t want to be labeled as crazy. Besides, the  Sasori in her head had information she  _ knew _ she  hadn’t learn ed , which only told her that he was, in fact, the real  deal .

She skipped practice that day, instead bunkering down in the  anbu library (with Lady  Tsunade’s generous blessing, thankfully), and reading up on every goddamn scroll she could find about it. Of course, she ran into a brick wall; not a soul seemed to be experiencing what she was, at this moment. It was almost like the reverse of the Yamanaka’s famed  jutsu . Giving up, she went to the one person who felt like she could trust—and would get physical, irreparable truth: Ino. After much begging, and also much swearing to secrecy, Ino had given in. They locked themselves in her room, and she entered Sakura’s mind.

~

She had been running for thirty minutes now, the small town long gone behind her. She shivered against the cold wind, wearing nothing but a flimsy red dress to keep her warm. She was just thankful she had worn flats instead of heels, despite the protests from her teammates. It had been the one thing  Sasori and she had agreed upon. “When you battled Ino during the Chūnin exams, I was quite surprised.”

“I didn’t realize that your Inner was actually a manifestation. It had its own separate personality to you, its own strength.” Sakura bit her lip. She, too, remembered that day. Inner didn’t make appearances often, and that was the one time she had ever called upon her to help. Under Lady  Tsunade’s training, Inner’s confidence was no longer needed, and she receded to the back of her brain. Still, Sakura could hear her voice every once in a while, usually to throw a snarky comment back at people. “I can help you,”  Sasori cooed, leaning forward. Sakura shuddered, shaking her head quickly. “So stubborn,” he chided, but grinned, his fingers beginning to twitch once again.

She found herself cascading to the floor, doing her best to catch herself, but  Sasori wasn’t allowing it; she landed on her right hip and arm with a loud thud, pain sp arking through her body. Sakura hissed from the affliction, the momentum from herself and the jump doing just enough damage that she would actually need to heal it. “What do you want?” She asked aloud, rolling onto her back as she brought her opposite arm to her hip—something Sasori  _ allowed _ her to do. “Ah, I never considered having a live puppet,” he mused, his fingers settling into his lap, breaking his control over her. 

“Fuck you.”

“Now, now, Sakura.” He teased, watching her with hidden delight as she worked through her injuries smoothly. “I was never a jealous man, but...” He closed his eyes, frowning (Sakura realized it was the first time she had seen him frown since that day, usually always looking neutral or smirking). “To allow a man of his status to touch you like that? Disgraceful.”

“It’s for a mission!” She  snarled, lips pulled back to bare her teeth. 

“I’m no idiot, and I know you aren’t either.” For a moment, silence. 

“You knew from the second you saw him that first day, he was the missing medic- nin . Yet, you continued to lead him on, continued to let him assume you were weak.” Sakura withdrew her snarl, frowning as she stared up at tree’s canopy. “You were under orders to not kill, but to obtain information.”

“He has something else of value,” Sakura finally said, voice plain. “He knows something.” 

Sasori hummed, leaning back to look over Sakura. “Get rid of the  henge .” She did, without thinking, without question. His expression was neutral, but gave a pleased nod. “This is a much better look on you.” 

“You still cost me my mission,” she grumbled, forcing herself to stand, pulling on the bottom of her dress. Not that it mattered;  Sasori had gotten to see every inch of her, whether she liked it or not. There was no space for modesty when a person lived inside your head. 

“How far would you have gone?” He asked, tilting his head. “Would you have slept with him, if the mission required it?”

“Yes,” Sakura replied immediately. 

“He’s not even that good of a medic- nin .”

Realization hit her hard, and as her breath hitched, a smirk skittered across his face. “You  _ know _ him!”

“The Akatsuki used his help, once or twice.”

For a moment, Sakura saw red; she slammed an infused fist into the nearest tree, shattering it beneath her strength, the earth trembling beneath the might. The trees shortly behind it cracked, leaning back against the force of it, unfortunately c aught in the aftermath of her blow. She let out a deep breath, coming back to her senses quickly, only to mentally glare at the puppeteer. He raised an eyebrow at her, lips sealed, and she considered just laying waste to the forest. He wanted her to play his game, and she had no choice—her cover was blown, and the medic- nin would certainly not fall for another trap like that. “What are they after?”

“The Akatsuki were interested in his development of a serum that could potentially increase the natural reserves of one’s chakra. He was still in the testing phase of it all, but I assume by now, it’s almost completed.”

Sakura  nodded, shoulders squared. “They wanted me to get as close to the base as possible, then,” she said curtly. “Most likely.”

“Do you know where it is?”

A smirk. Of course he did.

Sasori lifted his hands once again, but this time, Sakura could feel his control seeping over her joints slowly. Like poison, she wanted to laugh; he was poison. She took off, smoothing chakra through her legs as she ran, dancing around the branches and trees easily. “Be ready. We’re already quite close.”  Sasori paused, eyes flickering  mischievously . “I’m sure they felt that tremble, too.” 

Sakura skidded to a halt a few trees before the lair, dropping from the branches to the ground, alert and ready to fight at any given notice. She suppressed her chakra, allowing just a minimal amount in her feet to silence her movements, and walked briskly around so she didn’t enter head on. As she peered through the trees, she made quick work to dispel the mild  genjutsu setup; it revealed a cave, the entrance guarded by two alert guards. “Perhaps hitting that tree wasn’t such a good idea?” he mused.

She managed a quiet huff, rolling her eyes. "Are you going to blame me for that, too?” He mocked.

_ Maybe I should. _

Sakura closed her eyes, scanning the area for anymore possible enemies; she was no sensor ninja, not by a longshot, but she could get a rough idea from years of practice. There were a handful of people inside, but only the two  outside —unless someone was exceptional at hiding their chakra. She hoped not. She summoned a clone, handing it a kunai and directing it to the attack straight from the front as a distraction. The clone disappeared, only to reemerge dead center, rushing the guards. One moved forward, flash a grin as he withdrew a scimitar. The kunai and the blade collided, the clone hopping back after the deflect. The man was fast and unhesitating, not giving her clone a chance to recover and gain the upper hand. Sakura stretched her fingers out, letting her chakra flow through her veins with ease, the act almost second nature to her now. Before she could step out, Sakura felt a slight tug on her muscles.  _ What? _

“Let me,”  Sasori said with a half-smile, raising his hands up once again. She furrowed her brow, watching as her clone was becoming quickly overtaken, but nodded. “Wonderful.”

Allowing  Sasori to wield her as a weapon was... bizarre. It brought back clear memories to their fight, when Chiyo had attached her own strings to Sakura. She didn’t have to think about her actions, only focusing on where she wanted to push her chakra to. Her movements were smooth and refined, unlike what she normally fought as. She was more brash, throwing calculated but brutal hits, while  Sasori seemed to enjoy having her spin and sway, elegant and alluring. 

The scimitar missed her by a breath, but left her an opening to swing her leg against his knee. She could feel the bone shatter beneath her kick, the man yelling as his body was sent hurling towards the edge of the forest. The second man was a standing farther back, forming hand signs to send forth a gust of wind with sharp metal in it. Sakura jumped up, realizing her—or should she say, Sasori’s-- mistake immediately; a second blast of wind hit her hard, sending her towards the earth, metal pieces littering her skin. She hissed, landing on her feet and using her hand to help her balance. “Apologies, I forgot you’re still human.”

_ I’m not some doll, you can't just toss me around and play pretend with my body!  _

Sasori shrugged. “Can you heal it?” 

She scoffed, the green aura already materializing above the worse of the cuts. Her dress was shredded, though. “Well,”  Sasori mused, “we can’t let him live now.”

Sakura felt a small blush grace her cheeks, her body picking up once again to rush the man. Air nipped at her newly freed skin, but she ignored it, pouring her thoughts into the movement of her chakra. “Let this first blow be chakra free,”  Sasori directed. She gave a quick nod, giving herself a burst of speed to close the gap. Once in his space, he managed to get another  jutsu off, blowing a strong gust of wind straight at her. It stung the open wounds she had yet to heal, and forced her back a good distance, allowing him enough time to hurl a mix of sharp, concentrated wind blades at her. She dodged them, only to be met with more and more.  _ Sasori _ _ ! _

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he cooed, smirk spreading as his fingers moved about. 

Sakura wished she didn’t have faith in him, wish she didn’t trust him. Yet, at his words, she could feel a sense of reassurance wash over her. Fuck. Fuck him. 

“Such impure thoughts.”

The blades were fast and unforgiving; one misstep would certainly end in something other than just her dress being shredded. He should be focusing, not playing around—he was going to get her killed, she was sure of it. At the end of the day, after all his snide remarks and absent flirting, he didn’t care for her. She was just a toy.

“Lost in thought?”

Sakura shook her head, not realizing she had once again entered  fighting range with the ninja. She dropped low, remembering what  Sasori had requested, and allowed nothing but a strong leg to sweep across his ankles. They wasted no time, Sakura’s momentum halted abruptly, only to swing the same leg back up (which was very much enhanced now) to deliver a finishing blow to his face. He didn’t even get a chance to yell, jaw shattered under her precise kick; he flew into the air, only to land as a limp body a bit away.

She gave a scan of the area, but the two men were still; she was sure they weren’t dead, but... certainly would be in a lot of pain when they awoke. Sakura stood,  Sasori’s control once again receding. She let out a sigh, turning towards the cave entrance--

Her team was upon her faster than she could realize, Kakashi grabbing her elbow and yanking her back. Naruto and Sai were close, Sai observing the bodies incredulously, while Naruto stared back at Sakura. “Just what did that medic- nin tell you?” Naruto asked, gaping at her. She threw her head back to laugh instinctively, but sobered up shortly after.

“I’m sorry,” her face flushed, refusing to meet any of her teammate’s stares. She had nearly forgotten that she had messed the whole plan up, and now she was in front of their base, ready to head inside and just start smashing heads--

Could her night get any worse?

“Well,” Kakashi started, releasing her elbow. “I suppose it’s still what we were looking for. Just skipped a few of the steps.”

She considered, briefly, digging a hole and burying herself alive. “They’re not mad, I thought you’d be  happier ?”  Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow. 

_ Shut... up. God. Please. _

Sakura straightened her back, pushing her embarrassment (and shame) deep inside of her; it was a problem another time. At the moment, they were staring straight ahead at their objective. If  Sasori was correct, it wasn’t exactly the medic- nin they wanted, but rather the serum. A softness being tossed onto her shoulders  drew her attention, and her hands automatically went to the orange and black jacket that was laid over her shoulders. 

Oh.

Her cheeks were hot and burning, the sound of  Sasori’s low laugh radiating deep in her mind. The dress was barely there, barely covering anything at all now; she was thankful that at least her breasts and ass weren’t out for the whole world. Well, not completely, at least. Naruto patted her shoulder, smiling warmly, which she returned without thinking. “Ready?” 

Sakura could only nod, slipping the jacket on completely, zipping it up to give her  _ some _ modesty back.  Sasori looked to be scowling, but as her felt her attention being directed to him, dropped it immediately. “I don’t like this jacket.” 

“Tough.”

The lab inside was shocking high-tech, and Sakura had to bite down her excitement at seeing the advanced equipment throughout the room. There were more guards inside, but she stepped back, allowing the boys to quickly clean up anyone left; she would feel awful if she had ripped Naruto’s jacket, not to mention, she didn’t want to exactly... destroy the lab. She tiptoed around the lab, eyeing the different colored liquid vials and ingredients with a clinical eye. 

_ What are all of these? _

Sasori tilted his head, also intrigued. “Most of these weren’t here when we visited last.” His gaze dropped down, and with a quick flick, Sakura was picking up a vial filled with a (faintly) glowing blue substance. Without his command, she snuck it into the pockets of Naruto’s jacket, making a mental note to not forget it, and not bothering to ask  Sasori what it could possibly be. Not like he would ever tell her, even if she asked. 

“The serum wouldn’t be out in the open like this.”

Sakura nodded, continuing to walk about as the boys finished tying up the bodies and putting them against the wall. Unconsciously, she pulled at the bottom the jacket, hoping to just cover a  _ little mor _ e skin.  Sasori scoffed quietly, but she caught it, and raised frowned as she inspected another selection of vials.  _ What are  _ you _ scoffing at? _

“Feigning modesty?”

She rolled her eyes, picking up a vial filled with an ashy-gray substance, adding it quickly to her collection.  _ It’s you who got me into this, asshole. _

He clicked his tongue, something that she couldn’t recall him ever doing before, and frowned deeper. “I was helping you.”

“But I’m growing bored, and I find you running around in his jacket... distasteful.”

Sakura scrunched her nose, walking towards a bookshelf, her fingers outstretching to glide across the books.  _ He was nice enough to give me something to cover up. Would you prefer I strip? _

Sasori looked to be considering for a moment, face straight but eyes narrowed. “Perhaps another time, when there’s no... company.”

_ Ok, first of all, no. _

“Oh? I thought you were offering?”

Her fingers stopped at a plain, green looking book; it looked to be a medical book, but she had never seen the title, nor heard of the author before. She hesitantly pulled it from its spot, looking it over to see if there were any seals hidden on the inside. “This is it,” she whispered, opening the book cautiously. The middle of the book revealed a spot that had been precisely cut out, three identical vials, all filled with clear liquid, laying securely next to each other. Her eyes lit up, her fingers tracing the outside in wonder. 

“You seem quite fascinated.”

_ Should I not be? _

“I didn’t say that.”

Sakura made her way back to the trio, grinning as she held the book up to them, vials and all. She handed them off to Kakashi, who sealed them inside a carrying scroll. “Great work, Sakura,” he said, turning to give her a closed-eye smile. She beamed back, smiling like a giddy child who had just been praised, while Sasori rolled his eyes.

“Praise kink?”

Her smile dropped, and she turned to leave the cave. _ You just can’t let me have nice things, huh? _

“That would be too easy.”

~

Sakura was relieved to be back at the hotel, where she happily sealed the taken vials into her own scroll before stripping and tossing Naruto’s jacket onto her bed. The barely-there dress (or, what was left of it, at least) followed shortly after, finding itself crumbled up on the bathroom floor. She nearly jumped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away all the dirt and sweat that she had managed to accumulate.

Sasori was eerily quiet, and for some reason, that unsettled her. 

To be fair, he wasn’t a chatty type (which, thank god), but today he seemed the opposite. Always had a comeback, always had to wiggle his way into her thoughts. He was almost... flirty? 

She paused for a moment, but quickly shook her head, continuing to scrub at her scalp. There was no way in hell he could be flirting with her. Teasing, maybe. He did say he got bored easily—perhaps he wanted to find a new way to torture her? 

The warmth of the shower ended too soon, but the idea of curling up in a warm bed made her pout disperse instantaneously. She pulled up short black athletic shorts, followed by a simple red t-shirt---

Except her arms were frozen midway through pulling the shirt down, and  Sasori’s usual smirk found its way back. “Let. Me. Go.” She hissed, gritting her teeth in rage.

“Ah, but, I kind of like this position.”

She shook her head violently, trying to force her arms either way, to just do anything but be stuck under his command. “I had just recalled a point earlier, actually.”

He wasn’t there, she told herself; he was just in her head. Yet, when he spoke, she could feel the heat of his breath on her ear, the tickle of his hand snaking around her exposed stomach, and rumble in his chest--

“Didn’t you offer to fuck me?”

Sakura thought she was going to pass out. Maybe she was having a heart attack, or possibly a stroke. With all of her might, she swung around, almost expecting to see Sasori standing in front of her.

He wasn’t. 

She pulled her top down the rest of the way, face burning and stomach knotting. “I wasn’t offering.”

“Ah, then I will.”

She tried to ignore him, pouring every ounce of strength into her legs, willing them to walk towards the bed and lay down. She was losing it. Maybe she had lost it.  Sasori , the dead-man-walking (figuratively), missing  nin of  Suna , human turned puppet—her train of thought blanked, probably for her own sanity. 

He cocked an eyebrow, letting her crawl under the sheets and smothering her face in her pillow. “You’re not even  _ real _ .”

Sasori laughed. It was such a bizarre noise to her; he was never one to show such “strong” emotion like that. Yet, it didn’t sound like a madness induced laugh, like she had once heard  Sasuke and other criminals do. No, it sounded almost genuine. “Do you truly not realize?” He finally said, grinning as his fingers outstretched. Her hand shifted from beneath the pillow, down the sheets, creeping slowly and slowly...

She was sure her face was bright red, ironically a similar color to the man who lazed around in her head, and she was also certain she running a fever. She bit the pillow to resist screaming out, for multiple reasons. It just wasn’t fair. Her hand snaked across her lower abdomen, dancing down her thighs and back up again, her fingers barely touching her skin. Sakura flipped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling, biting her lip to the point of drawing blood. “Not here,” she whispered, blinking quickly.

The relief of having her limbs return to her was enormous, and she snatched up the hand that had gone haywire, hugging it tightly to her chest.  Sasori stared at her, eyes unblinking; perhaps if it was another person, she would’ve squirmed, but  Sasori didn’t intimidate her. No, even after tonight, even after his flaunting of control—she didn’t fear him. “It’ll be on my terms,” she breathed out, closing her eyes and allowing the heat to disperse from her face. He acknowledged her with a hum, closing his own eyes as he leaned back against nothing. 

As sleep quickly nabbed at the definitely-mentally-exhausted girl, she couldn’t help but remember back to that day: Ino had released her mind, and the two girls took a few minutes to gather their wits. Sakura looked at her friend knowingly, gripping her hands tightly. “It’s way worse than I thought...” Ino mumbled, frowning. Sakura’s eyes grew wider, anxiety obvious.

“What do you mean?” Sakura asked, voice low and cracking with worry.

Ino glanced off for a moment, and when she turned back, her face was dead serious. 

“He’s handsome.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I basically just bust this out in one sitting and am too lazy to proofread, but I hope it was still enjoyable.


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